TAMEST 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards
Identifying novel therapeutic strategies and making fundamental discoveries related to small cell lung cancer. Creating environmental and sustainable solutions for lithium-ion battery technology. Improving the safety and efficacy of gene editing and understanding the mechanisms of DNA repair to potentially cure diseases. Discovering the most distant and massive galaxies that have reshaped our understanding of early Universe star formation and supermassive black holes. Pioneering geochemical fingerprinting technology to optimize energy production processes.
These are the breakthroughs by Texas’ rising stars in research being honored with the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards by TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology):
• Medicine: Lauren Averett Byers, M.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Engineering: Yan Yao, Ph.D., University of Houston
• Biological Sciences: Ilya J. Finkelstein, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
• Physical Sciences: Caitlin M. Casey, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
• Technology Innovation: Faye Liu, Ph.D., RevoChem LLC
“The Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards are a huge award in our state, and it is extremely competitive due to the fact that Texas has many talented scientists deserving of this award,” said Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Committee Chair Margaret “Peggy” A. Goodell, Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine, who herself received the O’Donnell Award in Medicine in 2011. “I’ve seen firsthand how impactful these awards can be to a young researcher in our state, and it is an honor to help carry the tradition to the next generation. These five researchers are truly among the best and brightest in Texas, and we can’t wait to see where their careers take them from here.”
Over $1.5 million has been awarded to more than 75 recipients in the categories of Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Technology Innovation since the inception of the O’Donnell Awards in 2006. Sixteen O’Donnell Awards recipients have gone on to be elected to the National Academies, including five who have been elected to more than one National Academy.
The recipients will be honored at the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards Ceremony and give presentations on their research at the TAMEST 2025 Annual Conference: Transformational Breakthroughs, at the Westin Las Colinas in Irving, Texas.
All are welcome to register to attend the ceremony and the TAMEST Conference.
Learn more about the 2025 O’Donnell Awards recipients:
Medicine
“An exceptional physician-scientist, Dr. Byers is focused on both taking care of her patients and also on understanding the disease at a deeper level, which can lead to a variety of new advances. By conducting quality science, she has made important discoveries and identified key vulnerabilities for small cell lung cancer that have the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes. I am proud to see Dr. Byers honored for her commitment to meaningful advances for patients with cancer.”
James P. Allison, Ph.D. (Nobel Laureate, NAM, NAS), Regental Professor and Chair of Immunology, and Director of the James P. Allison Institute at MD Anderson
Lauren Averett Byers, M.D.
Internationally recognized physician-scientist Lauren Averett Byers, M.D., Professor and Thoracic Section Chief of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson, is the recipient of the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Medicine from TAMEST. She was chosen for identifying novel therapeutic strategies and making fundamental discoveries related to small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
SCLC is one of the most aggressive types of cancer. It evolves quickly and can become resistant to treatment early on, making it difficult to manage. With the current standard of care, patients generally lived around one year with the disease. Previously, all SCLC cases were treated the same; however, Dr. Byers and her team noticed that patients were responding differently to various types of treatments.
Engineering
“As energy demands from electric vehicles and grid storage continues to escalate, the importance of producing more environmentally friendly batteries has never been greater. Dr. Yao is tackling critical scientific challenges and is focused on developing technologies that power a sustainable, better future. His inventions, including aqueous organic batteries, magnesium batteries and solid-state sodium batteries, will undoubtedly have an enormous impact on environmental and energy sustainability.”
Pradeep Sharma, Ph.D. (NAE), Dean of the Cullen College of Engineering and Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor, University of Houston
Yan Yao, Ph.D.
Forward-thinking materials scientist Yan Yao, Ph.D., Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Houston, is the recipient of the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Engineering from TAMEST. He was chosen for creating environmental and sustainable solutions for lithium-ion battery technology.
The world runs on lithium-ion batteries, but their dependence on scarce resources, like lithium, cobalt and nickel creates environmental challenges. These critical minerals require intensive mining and are not renewable. To combat this, Dr. Yao’s research focuses on discovering new materials and storage mechanisms for batteries based on abundant materials while creating energy storage solutions that reduce reliance on critical resources and have a positive environmental impact.
Biological Sciences
“Dr. Finkelstein is incredibly creative and able to pull things out of multiple disciplines to develop his work. There are thousands of people working on gene editing, but what sets Ilya apart is his ability to bring in approaches that nobody else has worked on. It’s his ability to think outside the box and his diligence to follow his ideas through to completion and overcome all problems along the way that truly makes him unique. What he is doing will revolutionize the future of genetic disease therapeutics.”
Alan M. Lambowitz, Ph.D. (NAS), Professor of Molecular Biosciences and Oncology and Mr. and Mrs. A. Frank Smith, Jr. Regents Chair in Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
Ilya J. Finkelstein, Ph.D.
Pioneering molecular biologist Ilya J. Finkelstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, is the recipient of the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Biological Sciences from TAMEST. He was chosen for his work improving the safety and efficacy of gene editing and understanding the mechanisms of DNA repair to potentially cure diseases.
Imagine being able to cure diseases, such as cancer, by fixing mistakes in your own DNA. Dr. Finkelstein and his team are aiming to do exactly that by studying how our cells maintain their genetic information, and how we can edit it safely.
Physical Sciences
“Using the best technology and telescopes in the world, Dr. Casey peers as far back in time as is possible to understand the emergence and characteristics of some of the earliest galaxies in the Universe. With her groundbreaking work, she is reshaping what we know about the Universe and inspiring discoveries at our cosmic frontiers. Not only is she a fantastic and talented scientist, she also models how great science requires a lot of intentional mentoring and support of a team.”
David A. Vanden Bout, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
Caitlin M. Casey, Ph.D.
World-renowned observational astrophysicist Caitlin M. Casey, Ph.D., Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, is the recipient of the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Physical Sciences from TAMEST. She was chosen for discovering the most distant and massive galaxies that have reshaped our understanding of early Universe star formation and supermassive black holes.
The observable Universe is estimated to be about 13.8 billion years old, and Dr. Casey and her team are trying to find uniquely massive galaxies from its first billion years. These galaxies are on the most extreme margins of what the Universe can produce. To do so, Dr. Casey leads the COSMOS-Web Survey, made up of an international team of hundreds of scientists with the aim of constructing the largest image of the distant Universe that has ever been created. COSMOS-Web was James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) largest public survey in its first year and exceeds the scale of the Hubble Space Telescope’s Ultra Deep Field by 200 times.
Technology Innovation
“Dr. Liu is a true innovator and has used advanced chemical sciences to creatively address oil field issues and applications. Her methods have revolutionized characterization, development and production optimization and monitoring in unconventional reservoirs while minimizing environmental impacts. Her applications are very strong and I am excited for the great potential in many different arenas. It truly feels like we are watching the future unfold.”
Oliver C. Mullins, Ph.D. (NAE), Retired Fellow, SLB
Faye Liu, Ph.D.
Visionary geochemist Faye Liu, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RevoChem LLC, is the recipient of the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Technology Innovation from TAMEST. She was chosen for pioneering geochemical fingerprinting technology to optimize energy production processes thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface.
Dr. Liu’s Houston-based company utilizes two-dimensional gas chromatography, geochemistry and data analytics to improve efficiency and reduce cost and environmental impacts in the energy industry. Her process takes the chemical composition of a drop of oil and creates a digital fingerprint, which maps out where crude oil is produced from the subsurface and how it evolves through time.
